Improved annunciator



A. RANKIN.

Annuncator.

"Patented Feb. 17, 1863.

E' .Ej E. En

@QSE- ijfj Em.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ANDREW RANKIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

lMPROVED ANNUNCIATOR.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,706, dated February 17,1863.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANDREW RANKIN, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Annunciators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and. exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists of certain devices, forming part of an annunciator, and constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as described hereinafter, so as to obviate the complex and costly mechanism common to annunciators as heretofore constructed.

In order to enable others skilled in this class of machinery to make and use my in'- vention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation. A

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this spccication,

Figure l is a rear view showing the internalI construction and arrangement of my improved j annunciator; Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 1-2, Fig. l and Fig. 3, a front view.

A is a metallic plate perforated at regular intervals witho blon g openings a. On the face of the plate,and in front of each opening a, is a sliding plate, B, at the rear of which is a projection, b, the latter passing through the opening a, in which it can have a free vertical, but no lateral, movement. The projection B of each sliding plate also passes through an elastic or spring plate, G, which is confined to the said projection by a pin, o, the elasticity-of the plate C tending to maintain the plate B in close contact with the plate A.

In the projection b of each sliding plate is a vertical opening,through which passes the wire h, the latter being enlarged at its lower end so that, although it can slide freely in the opening, it cannot be withdrawn therefrom.

Each wire h is connected at its upper end to a short wire, t', which is jointed to the end of the wire j, connected directly to a bell-pull. Each wire t' passes through one of a series of perforations in a plate, QD, which is hung at one edge toa rod, d', connected to the brackets E and E, which are secured to the plate A. Each rod 'i also passes through one of a series of holes in the stationary plate F,which is secured to the plate A above the plate D. The front edge ofthe plate D when depressed rests on a lug, d, on the plate A. On the under side of the plate D is a projection, e, to which is connected the upper end of the wire k, the other end of the latter being attached to suitable mechanism for operating the hammer of a bell, G, which is secured to the lower part ofthe plate A. A rectangular frame, H, with cross-bars f andf, is suspended to the rear of the plate A by a spring, m, and is retained in its proper lateral position by guidepulleys t t. In front of the plate A is another plate, A, which has an oblong opening, a', in front of each of the sliding plates B, the said openings being nearly equal in length to thatof the slides B, but only about one-half the height of the said slides. (See Fig. 3.) The space between the'two plates A and A is just sufficient to allow for the free movement of the slides B without the latter coming in contact with the plate A. A rod, J, passes through both the plates A and A', and has on its front end a handle, K, and on its rear end a double lever, L, the under side of which is in contact with the upper edge of the lower cross-bar of the frame H. The annunciator (which is intended for luse in hotels) having been secured in the desired position, the wires i are connected to the wires j, the latter leading to the different rooms of the hotel, and being connected to the bell-pulls. All the slides B are then raised, so as to bring the lower half of each slide opposite to one of the openings a in the plate A. rIhe portion of the slide thus exposed is then marked in such a manner as to indicate the room to which the wire which operates the slide leads, the marking being done by painting the number orletter of the room upon the exposed part of the slide. After all the slides have been duly connected to their respective wires and properly marked,

they are depressed so that none of the iigures are exposed, and the instrument is in workin g condition. When the belt-rope in the room indicated by the mark 410 is pulled, the wires connected to this pull are raised, lifting the slide B to the-position shown in Figs. l and 2 and exposing the mark N o. 410, which, prior to the raising of the slide, was concealed by the plate A. On raising the wire the enlarged portion at a', formed by the joining of the wires h and i, strikes theunder side of the plate D, and raises it simultaneously with the lifting of the sliding plate B', and, through the medium of the wire 7c, rin gs, the bell to direct attention to the instrument. The instant the bell-pull which elevated the slide, is released the wires connectedto the elevated slide B return to their original position, the plate D dropping until it strikes the projection d, the wire h sliding down through the opening in the projection b, but the slide B retaining its elevated position, being held there by the elastic plate C. After ascertaining the number of the room from which the wires were pulled, the attendant turns the handle K, thereby tilting the lever L and depressing the frame H, the cross-piece f of which, striking the upper edge of the projection b, lowers it, with its slide, to the position rst occupied. The same movements take place when any other one of the wires is pulled, the hinged plate D being raised and ringing the bell in each instance, and the wire h sliding back and leaving the slide B elevated until lowered by depressing the frame H.

Although the use of the intermediate wires, i, allows ot' repairs being more readily made, they are not essential, as the wires j may be continued through the plates F and D, and attached directly to the projections b, projections or collars being fixed upon the Wires at such points that whenever one of them,is raised, its collar will strike the under side of the plate D and raise it also.

In the annunciators heretofore constructed the wires j have in all cases been connected to the slides or other devices for showing the numbers through the medium of one or more cranks to each slide. This arrangement creates undue friction, requiring the attachment of heavy springs to the wires, making them hard to pull and causing considerable wear.

Another great objection to annunciators as heretofore constructed is the complex devices used for connecting the separate Wires to the bell, one or more cranks and springs being required for each slideor number, so thatin an annunciator having three hundred slides the same number of cranks and a like number of springs must be arranged within the instrument, making the latter exceedingly costly to construct and so complex that when one part is disarranged it is a matter of extreme difficulty and one requiring nice manipulation to repair it.

I obviate the difficulties above referred to by connecting the wires directly to the slides and using the hinged plate D, through which the wires must pass, this plate acting as a lever to connect each Wire to the bell, and each wire operatingas independently of the others as it' it possessed a separate crank. At the same time the one spring in the bell, by drawing down the plate D, retains each separate wire at its proper tension, and this without regard to the number of wires.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The use of a plate, D, or its equivalent, connected to the alarm-bell of an annunciator, and so arranged in respect to the wires connected to the slides B that the movement of each Wire, as it operates its slide, will impart such a movement to the plate D as will sound the bell.

2. The slides B,with their projections b, when arranged in respect to the pla-te A, substantially as set forth, for direct connection to the wires.

3. The frame H, with its cross-pieces ff, in combination with the projections b of the slides B, the whole being arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In tesimony whereof I have sign ed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses.

ANDRE/V BANKIN. Witnesses:

. HENRY HoWsoN,

JOHN WHITE. 

